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Digital scrapbook files
are designed to be print-quality image files
- which means they are large in both pixel
dimensions and in file size - and they need
to be! Image resolution is a concept
which has important ramifications for scrappers,
so it's in your best interest to understand it and manage it effectively.
*here's a LINK
to more information than you ever wanted
to absorb about resolution!*
Almost all digital scrapbookers
design at one of two resolutions - either
200 PPI or 300 PPI (Pixels per Inch.) You
may have heard or read that digital scrapbook
files have to be 300 Pixels per Inch in
resolution. That's not true, but nonetheless
- those may be the files you choose to work
with. (Many designers only design
at 300 PPI, and if you like certain designs
and want to use them, you may feel you have
no choice but to also work at that resolution,
so that your elements can be "mixed
and matched".)
But working at 200 PPI
is more "cost-effective" for you,
in many ways. Digital images that
are created at 200 PPI, versus the same
image created at 300 PPI, in the same print
dimensions, are 2-4 times SMALLER in file
size. This equates to faster download times,
less hard drive space to store them, and
- most importantly - much less computer
power required to work with them. Creating
and manipulating a digital layout with
20-30 layers at 200 PPI is much less processor-intensive
than the same task at 300 ppi! And
- if you have an older or less powerful
machine, you will surely appreciate the
time saved in not having to wait nearly
as long for effects to render on a
layout. (Sometimes you could bake
a cake while a drop shadow applies!)
BUT WAIT! You can
now "have your cake and eat it too"
- because there IS a solution to this dilemma.
You can buy or download all the 300
PPI layout kits you want, and easily convert
them to 200 PPI, without losing quality,
without losing the original files, and without
causing any fuss or muss on anyone's part!
You can convert an entire
folder full of images in seconds. You
can then work with the converted files,
exactly as you would have with the 300 PPI
files, and still keep the originals around
in case you ever need them. And - it's almost
as easy as pushing a button. In fact,
it IS pushing a button! And best of
all - it's free, completely free, all yours,
no strings attached. Have a happy!
This magic is accomplished
through the use of a special script,
written for Paint Shop Pro versions
8, 9 and X, which will do all the hard work
for you. Here's how it works -
1. Download the script
from the link below.
*This
script was created by Jos Croeze and is free
for unlimited use.*
**Paint Shop Pro 7 and prior
versions will not be able to use this script**
2. Unzip the file and
drop it in the Scripts-Trusted folder in
the Paint Shop Pro files folder in My Documents
(or the Scripts-Trusted folder in the Paint
Shop Pro Program folder) in the version
of Paint Shop Pro that you use - either
PSP 8, 9 or X. If you use more than
one version, the script works in all three.
You will need to tell all three versions
to find the script, but if you are smart
enough to need 3 versions of PSP on the
same machine, you are smart enough to figure
out how to tell all 3 of them to see the
same script. ;-)))) Oh all right,
I'll tell you anyway.
3. In PSP 8 - go
to File>Preferences>File Locations.
Highlight the File Type (Scripts-Trusted)
in the left pane. If the path to the
folder where you stored the script is not
already showing in the right pane, add it
by clicking Add and then Browse to the location
of that folder. Click OK when the
folder path shows in the right pane.
In
PSP 9 the process is exactly the same.
In
PSP X, the process is the same, but the dialog
looks slightly different.
4. Now you're ready to convert
a folder full of scrapbook elements! Open
Paint Shop Pro. Using the File>Open
command, browse
to the folder that contains the images you
want to convert. Open the first image
in the folder, as shown below.
5. Check to make sure the
Script Toolbar is visible on the
workspace. It's the segment that starts
with the name of the Resolution200 script
in the image below. If you don't see
that toolbar, go to View>Toolbars>Script
and make sure the icon is checked (or depressed
in PSP 8 or 9.) Once you see the Script
toolbar, click on the arrow next
to the script name (and yours will likely
NOT show that script name initially!) and
browse down the list of installed
scripts to find the Resolution200 script.
<If you
find the Script toolbar takes up too
much space or is confusing, you can
also run a selected script by going
to File>Script>Run and browing
to the Resolution200.PspScript in the
Scripts-Trusted folder where you
installed it. Thanks, Joske, for
the reminder!>
6. Once the Resolution200
script shows in the Script Toolbar window,
PUSH THE BUTTON next to it - the
sideways arrow! You will initially
be greeted by the following dialog. Click
YES.
Kaboom, sit back and watch some cool
stuff happen! Depending on how many
images are in the folder you are trying
to convert, this could take a couple seconds
to several minutes. When the script
finishes, you will find a new folder
in the same directory as the original folder
which contains the 300 PPI original files,
with a similar folder name with "_200"
appended to the file name.
If
you then open THAT folder, you will see all
the original files have been duplicated, with
"_200" appended to their original
file names.
These new files are 200 PPI resolution,
with the same print dimensions as the originals,
ready to play! You can then go convert
any other folders that you wish, using exactly
the same process - open the first file in the
folder in Paint Shop Pro, and PUSH
THE BUTTON to start the script. Kaboom!
Go forth and Scrap at 200, folks!
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*Occasionally,
a kit which is sold as 300 PPI resolution will
contain elements which are NOT 300 PPI, for
various reasons, usually design
error.The script will automatically
resample ALL images in the folder to 200 PPI.
The only issue this may create for you
is that
the elements may not print at the size you expect.
This is a design flaw in the layout kit,
not the script. If this happens, please
contact
the designer and ask for the originals to be
corrected. If that is not possible, just
drop me an email at sally@dizteq.com
for advice
on how to solve the problem. ;-)))*
**
Once in a great while, you may come across a
resampled image that looks a little fuzzy around
the edges. This is NOT due to the
change in resolution, but may be caused by the
resizing which occurs in the script, especially
if the script is run on images with very
high resolution values (600 PPI or greater).
If
this happens, just give the image a little Unsharp
Mask facial in Paint Shop Pro,
and things should be beautiful in Scrap Land
once again!**
***
This script may also be useful for resampling
other images, such as entire folders of digital
photos. Try it!***
Many thanks for this script go
to Jos Croeze, who wrote it, with input
from Joske Backer, Lori Davis and myself.
Additional thanks go to Roberta D'Achille,
of Rendered
Memories, who graciously provided
several of her 300 PPI kits for testing
purposes, and all the happy scrappers in
the corel.PaintShopPro_Scrapbooking newsgroup
on the Cnews newsserver who inspired the
concept and tested the script (and Jos's
patience! ;-))))
Stay tuned for Photoshop actions
which will accomplish the same feat, and
even a freeware option for those of you
who work with image editors that don't have
batch processing or scripting functions!
Feel free to link to this site,
especially if you offer 300 PPI scrapbook
kits and you'd like to offer your customers
an easy option to "have their cake
and scrap it too!"
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